Weekend 6 (17 & 18 June) with overall difficulty: 105

Starting at Caerfai on 17 June at 10.30am and walking 10 miles to Whitesands

Summary

This is one section of The Coast Path that is best done as a circular walk as the return leg takes you into St Davids by way of a delightful back lane. It’s relatively level all the way round.

The route

Start at the car park near the tourist information centre before heading south along a lane to Caerfai Bay and turn right

The first landmark we will reach is the retreat & tiny chapel at St Non’s, dedicated to St David’s mother

A little further on, the path descends first to the tiny inlet of Porth Clais, then to a wider beach at Porthlysgi before reaching the headland. This is the most westerly point of mainland Wales and a good spot to see grey seals. Across Ramsey Sound is Ramsey Island, an important RSPB reserve. A line of jagged rocks, The Bitches, cuts across the tide race, providing sport for jet boats and kayakers. The distant lifeboat station at St Justinian’s is where boats depart for Ramsey Island

Around the corner from here is a small beach at Porthselau and the magnificent sweep of Whitesands Bay. We may be able to walk along the beach to Whitesands from Porthselau, as the tide should be well on its way out by the time we get there but it’s no hardship to go along the top

Turn inland by the cafe and walk up the hill to a five road cross roads, where we’ll take the second right to The Cathedral

To complete the circuit, go up to the city centre (this is Britain’s smallest city!). Walk past the old cross and head up to the tourist information centre

Distances

Overall difficulty: 46

Starting at Whitesands on 18 June at 10am and walking 11 miles to Trefin

Summary

A wild and rocky walk over some of the oldest rock in Britain dating from the pre Cambrian period. The quarrying around Aberieddi and Porthgain have left some very interesting features that deserve exploration.

The route

From the cafe at Whitesands Bay, head north to St David’s Head

If we’ve got plenty of ooompf, we might veer off to the right to climb Carn Llidi for stunning panoramic views and then explore the ruined ramparts of the promontory fort and Coetan Arthur burial chamber on St David’s Head

Head east along convoluted cliffs until you reach the road heading for Abereiddi Bay. On the far side are the remains of a slate quarry and a row of quarry workers cottages (toilets). The circular quarry, known as The Blue Lagoon, has been breached by the sea and is now a playground for kayaking and coasteering

Past the quarry, the vista opens up spectacularly, with Traeth Llyfn beach in the distance

A series of steel staircases lead down to the beach if you fancy a dip

As you approach Porthgain, you notice more redundant quarrying activity, this time for granite. It was hauled over the cliff top, crushed and fed into enormous hoppers that transported the rock down to the harbour

A stop at The Shed Seafood Bistro and Wine Bar or The Sloop Inn in Porthgain is almost obligatory, but we may struggle to drive ourselves onwards afterwards

News

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About the Delton Challenge

We're helping a certain special young man with spina bifida traverse the Pembrokeshire Coast Path (186 miles in total). Whilst we're walking, we'll also be fundraising for local and national charities that have helped him.